Vol. 20, No. 1

Sept. 7, 2000

Tickets go on sale Saturday for Art Garfunkel concert

Art Garfunkel–whose crystal-clear voice helped shape the sounds of the '60s and '70s with such songs as "The Sounds of Silence," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "All I Know" and "I Only Have Eyes for You"–will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 27, at The Bob, as a special highlight of Homecoming weekend. Tickets–at $15 for UD students and $20, $25 and $50 for alumni and the general public–go on sale Saturday, Sept. 9, at UD box offices and through Ticketmaster, where a convenience charge may apply. Garfunkel and his friend Paul Simon formed Tom and Jerry in 1957, landing a recording contract, a moderate hit ("Hey, Schoolgirl") and an appearance on American Bandstand, all before graduating from high school. After college, with Garfunkel earning a bachelor's degree in art history from Columbia University, the pair reunited as Simon and Garfunkel, just in time to catch folk music as it turned into a folk-rock. From 1964 to 1970, the duo recorded six LPs that became classics–from Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme to Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Many of the songs on these recordings became pop standards, including "Homeward Bound," "Kathy's Song," "I Am a Rock," "At the Zoo," "El Condor Pasa" and "The Boxer." The pair won five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year in 1968 and 1970 and Album of the Year in 1970. The duo contributed to the soundtrack for Mike Nichols' The Graduate, including the top hit "Mrs. Robinson," and Garfunkel went on to act in two of Nichols' films, Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge. The duo split up in 1970, and Garfunkel pursued a career as a solo artist, releasing several recordings, including Angel Clare in 1973, which included a top 10 hit, "All I Know." Two years later, his LP Breakaway featured a hit cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You." His other solo albums included Watermark, with the hit single "Wonderful World"; Fate for Breakfast, with the hit "Since I Don't Have You; and Scissors Cut, with "A Heart in New York." In 1975, Garfunkel reunited with Simon to record "My Little Town," which became a top 10 hit. The pair reunited again in 1981 to perform in Central Park, one of the largest open-air concerts in New York history. The concert was broadcast on HBO, and the resulting live recording became a bestseller. In the 1990s, Garfunkel performed around the world, recorded songs for movies and television shows and released a special album for children, entitled Songs from a Parent to a Child, featuring renditions of songs by Marvin Gaye, Cat Stevens, the Lovin' Spoonful, James Taylor and Lennon/ McCartney. A critic in The Los Angeles Times wrote, "This tender valentine from Art Garfunkel to his 6-year-old son James will especially resonate with any adult for whom parenthood has brought the joy of discovery and untolled love." Earlier this year, Garfunkel performed for more than 100,000 at the Boise River Festival, the largest show in the festival's history, and, in July, he appeared at Buckingham Palace as part of a benefit for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Last month, Garfunkel was interviewed on VH1's 100 Greatest Moments in Rock and Roll, about his reunion concert in Central Park. For more information, call UD1-HENS.